When Do You Start Collect Coins?

I started collecting wheat cents at about 10. However, when I was about 18 I sold that collection. I've just restarted serious collecting again this year, mainly proof and mint sets plus graded silver eagles. However, this weekend I got my 10 year old daughter hooked. We searched rolls of quarters, dimes and nickels. She only needs 9 nickels to complete her nickels 1965-current. 5 dimes to complete 1965-current. 11 quarters to complete 1965-1998. State Quarters she's working on. I was so proud of her I gave her my extra 1996 regular and silver proof sets, her birth year. It's good to be back collecting again and passing the bug on to others.

During holidays in Spain as a Dutchie I collected pesetas out of the streets with Franco and the new ones with Juan Carlos; it was 1975 and I was eight years old. All my holiday money was sought after and by swapping with neighbourhood friends (the computer back then was something military) my collection began to grow. In 1997 (I was 30) I realised that numerous currencies would cease to excist in Europe by introducing the Euro. I found myself a new challenge and began again to upgrade my collection. Nowadays I am 40 and I have some 19,000 coins from Roman Times until yesterday.

I was 8 years old when I started. So let me think..............oh yeah, been collecting for 42 years now!

Old dan, you and I "may" have some things in common. Other than being "four years older than dirt"!
Being born BEFORE the depression, it is obvious that "collecting" can be applied to many things. I sold subscriptions to the "Ladys Home Journal", and "collected the money. I also sold "Cloverine salve", and "collected" the money. My Dad was a Telegraph Operator for the AT&SF Railway, and made $5.00 a day.and so it went. Then I went into service, (1943), and still didn't know what "Collecting coins" was all about. My Dad had a "book bank, that looked like a small Websters DICTIONARY, (I still have it), in which he had a few coins. A Barber dime, a liberty-head nickel, a Buffalo nickel, an Indianhead cent, and maybe a Standing Liberty quarter. All of which I still have. I didn't add to these coins until I was married, and going back and forth from my wifes home in Mexico, ( Los Mochis, Sin. Mex.) I had a few world coins then, because I could buy a handfull for next to nothing. I made a large framed picture, so to speak, of the movie, "around the world in 80 days), except my theme was "around the world in 80 countries". There waas a small blurb about each country, and a coin from there. Being in the Navy, and spending more time away from home, than within the home, made it pretty rough, trying to raise a family with three kids.. Sooo, The kids had to eat, and the cioins had to go. After retiring in '63, we went to Mexico, and I was waiting for notice to appear for orders to The Border Patrol Academy. When the word came, I was advised that I couldn't accept, until I returned to the USA. byt the time we returned, the list had expired. So "look for work"! The last time I worked was in '81, because every application I submitted was turned down, because I was "over-qualified"! Thranslated, TOO OLD! In '83 we went back to Mexico, and While my pension was too little to live on in the USA, it was enough in Mexico. The exchange rate went from 12-1/2:1, to over 3000:1, and the pension grew, without increasing the dollar amount, so It was easier. There I started collecting "type" coins, and that went to type/date. Then added Colonial coins, etc. then we returned to the USA, and the old story, gotta feed the four kid, now! I still had several 1 Qt. fruit jars full of crown/dollar sized coins, that I managed to salvage, and when we came to CA, guess what? I accidently left them in the "shop", a second mobile home we had, and I have been sick ever since! No more collecting coins for me! but, My Youngest step-son was selling on ebay, and we got to chatting on AOL IM, and I got back a couple years ago. So with sellers of all calibers online, and some with few, or no scruples, I became "another patsy"! I will say, none of them ever had the chance to steal eggs from my chicken-house the second time! Buying lots, and "collections" from certain sellers who had treated me right, finally gave me a sizable "pile" of various, and sundry coins. Proofs, proof sets, mint sets , etc, everything you can expect in the hobby. Yes there are some real goodies, and I have since quit buying "CULLS" from the sellers with "millions of unsearched wheats"!!! Then I found Coppercoins.com, and not long after, was introduced to CCF. Now I collect varieties, and friends. I didn't mean this to be a "never-ending soap opera", but you asked! And I have been Blessed!
Dick

Well...I'm going into Grade 9 in September and I've been seriously collecting since August 2nd, 2006. Yes I still remember the date. It was like 100 degrees that day, I just took a shower in the afternoon and was extremely bored. So I decided to look through and sort a bin of circulation commemoratives I saved up for 4 and a half years. it was beyond fun and I just loved it.

Somehow, I've always had a passion for coins. My grandpa collected a few foreign coins and he gave them to me. His brother also collects. I remember the first time he showed me his collection and I was absolutely impressed. I am proudly proclaiming this the greatest hobby anyone could ever have!!!

-D

About age 10 or 11. I started with Lincoln Cents. I searched everyone in my family's pocket change and at some point my Father started taking me to the bank and bought bags of cents for me to search through.

My uncle owned a Coin Laundry and sent some old Mercury dimes and Standing Liberty quarters my way. He also went to Vegas a few times a year and brought back Morgan and Peace dollars from the casinos. Around age 14 I got a job at a super market, started hanging out at some local coin shops and began purchasing coins. I've been at it off and on ever since! Mike

i just started to collect coins about 3 or 4 months ago. I'm 28 years old.. I'm still very new to it but I have also got 50 to 75 coins from my dad that was my grand fathers and my great grandpa's rick has seen a few of them but I'm still trying to figure out how to get the best picture lol took a few and they look to ate up to post. ha ha anyways I'm enjoying it and I really like cents and dimes. working on old wheat's cents and Mercury dimes ATM.